Both GHW Bush and Ronald Reagan Supported A Sensible Immigration Policy–What happened To The GOP?

One of my friends sent me this video and I must admit it shocked me. I remembered that President Reagan passed an amnesty bill but I never new the extent to which all sides in the Republican Party had such a Liberal view as every American should towards immigration with our neighbor to the south.

In these hard times many of the new leaders of the Republican Party have demonized those coming to the US for a better life. I understand that the borders must be controlled to some extent. However given the genesis of America the last thing we should morally accept is some punitive stance on otherwise law abiding undocumented workers who contribute to our society as both President Bush And Reagan attest to as well in the video below,

I do find it ironic that Ronald Reagan, the icon and god of the Tea Party/Republican Party would support policies so diametrically oppose to those of their idol. During the Debt Crisis debate I blogged about Reagans stance on the debt ceiling increase. Likewise I blogged on the misplaced disdain for unions given Reagans stance on unions.

My question is what has happened? How can we move from a place where so much progress was made for moral and progressive values to the present backward slide into a mean, selfish, and immoral modal where the killing of another life however evil is cheered and and the compassion for the uninsured sick instead turns into calls for his death.